


Everything and More

by starlightwalking



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Bagels, Bisexual Kíli, F/M, Single Parent AU, Trans Kili, mentioned transphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-05-29 09:39:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6369772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlightwalking/pseuds/starlightwalking
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tauriel really wished her daughter would stop fighting with another girl in her class, but the other girl's father is kind of cute, even if she's a monster. And someone keeps taking the last everything bagel at the local coffee shop right before she gets there. Whoever this "K.D." is, they've got another thing coming if they think they can get away with it for very long...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything and More

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tolkienguardians](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tolkienguardians/gifts).



> happy birthday to the wonderful tolkienguardians!!  
> inspired by [this post](http://starlightwalking.tumblr.com/post/121075885772/mickeyed-fic-where-they-know-each-other-but-they).

Tauriel had just gotten off work when she got the call from Ria's school.

"Not again," she muttered. This was the fourth time this month. Her daughter had never been a troublemaker until recently, but lately she'd been getting into trouble with another second grade student.

"Hello?" she said wearily.

"Hi, Ms. Gaelen, I'm sorry to disturb you, but this is Mr. Peredhel from your daughter's school—"

"Is she in trouble again?"

There was a pause. "Yes," Principal Elrond Peredhel admitted. "Please, if you're not too busy—"

"I'm on my way," she said. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

Tauriel turned off her phone and rolled her eyes. What was she going to do with that girl? She was getting so rambunctious, and while that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, she needed to stop picking fights with that Hailey Durin girl. Just because Ria had been called to the office this time didn't mean that Hailey was involved, of course, but Tauriel thought it was most likely. She'd like to give her daughter the benefit of the doubt, but with her track record, she wasn't too confident.

When she got to the school, she saw Hailey's father, Kíli, walking into the principal's office. Of course. Ria and Hailey had disrupted class time with another petty argument. Tauriel was getting sick of it. She'd have to start taking away Ria's privileges if she didn't behave.

Hailey's father grinned at her when he saw her. He was a short man with dark, curly hair and brown eyes that seemed to look right through her. Tauriel's chest tightened when she saw him. She didn't like to admit it, but he was very attractive.

"Ms. Gaelen," he said, nodding to her as she approached.

"Mr. Durin," she replied coolly. "I suppose Hailey and Ria have been acting up again?"

He shrugged, running a hand through his hair. He had the air of a young man who was trying to act cool, for all Tauriel estimated he was in his mid thirties. "Well, probably, seeing as we're both here." He looked at her and smiled. "Hey, I love your new hair."

Tauriel's hand instinctively reached up to her hair. She used to have it very long, almost down to her waist, but recently she had chopped it all off and donated it. Now it rested just below her ears.

"Thanks," she said, allowing herself a smile.

Mr. Peredhel opened his office door. He smiled at the two parents, a little wearily. "Mr. Durin, Ms. Gaelen," he said. "Thank you for coming. Please, come in."

"Ladies first," Kíli told her, holding the door open for her. He winked at her and flourished an arm to show her the way.

Tauriel sighed. "If you insist, sir." She walked through the door without looking at him. She need to remain calm and collected—professional. Mr. Durin was trying to get her off-balance by flirting with her. She couldn't let him succeed. At least, she couldn't let him know he had. Besides, he had a daughter. Unlike her, he was probably still married or otherwise taken. Though she had never seen his spouse in one of these meetings, only him.

In Peredhel's office sat two sulking first graders. Hailey Durin was the spitting image of her father, right down to the piercing brown eyes. She would grow up to be quite a beauty, Tauriel could tell. Tauriel's own daughter, Ria Greenleaf-Gaelen, was a tall strawberry blonde with her father's blue eyes.

The girls glared at each other. Peredhel sat down across from them in his desk, shaking his head.

"Girls, you can't keep this up," he scolded them gently. "Your parents shouldn't have to keep coming here to chastise you."

Tauriel folded her arms, taking a seat next to Ria. Kíli sat down next to Hailey.

"Ria, tell me what happened," Tauriel said firmly.

Ria looked at her, then scowled, glancing away in shame. "Hailey was drawing a cat wrong. She left off the whiskers."

"Did _not_!" Hailey protested, sticking out her tongue.

"Did _too_!" Ria retorted.

"What happened next?" Peredhel prompted.

Ria heaved a sigh. "I told her it was wrong, and then she threw her pencil at me."

"You called me stupid!" Hailey shouted.

"But you _did_ throw your pencil at her?" Kíli asked.

Hailey sulked. "Yes," she admitted.

"The teacher managed to prevent any further violence, but this really must stop altogether," Peredhel said, shaking his head.

"Hailey, what have I told you about this?" Kíli asked his daughter, exasperated.

"It doesn't matter what she does, I need to be nice to her," Hailey grumbled.

"And not just to her, too," Kíli added. "To everyone."

Tauriel nodded. "Yes. Ria, Mr. Durin is right. And it's wrong to make fun of other people's drawings."

"What do you say to Ria, Hailey?" Kíli asked.

"Sorry," Hailey mumbled, not looking Ria in the eye.

"Ria," Tauriel prompted.

"Sorry!" Ria said snootily, sticking her nose up in the air.

Peredhel sighed. "One more fight from you two and I'm going to have to take further steps," he warned. "Ria, Hailey...please behave."

Ria nodded solemnly. Hailey only sighed, looking at her hands.

"Alright, you can go back to class now," Peredhel told the girls. "Ms. Gaelen, Mr. Durin, could you stay for a moment?"

"Of course," Kíli said. Tauriel nodded.

Hailey and Ria trudged out of Peredhel's office. When the door closed, Peredhel looked at Kíli and Tauriel helplessly.

"I just don't know what else I can do," he said, spreading his arms. "We've put them in monitored situations and given punishments, but they just keep fighting."

"They're just kids," Kíli said, shrugging. "They'll grow out of it."

"I know they will, but that doesn't solve the immediate problem," Peredhel pointed out. "If this happens again, we're going to have to separate them entirely. That will be quite a hassle and will certainly hurt the educational growth of whichever girl ends up switching classes."

"If it comes to that, you can switch Ria out," Tauriel said. "She can recover. I'll help her, I only work during school hours anyway. I can do it."

Peredhel nodded. "I really hope it doesn't get that far," he said, sighing. "But I'll keep that in mind if it does." He stood up. Tauriel and Kíli rose as well. "Thank you for coming. I know it's inconvenient."

"It's fine," Kíli said, shaking Peredhel's hand. "Anything for my little girl."

"I don't mind," Tauriel agreed.

They exited the room, leaving Peredhel to his other duties as principal. As soon as they were outside his office, Kíli turned to her and smirked.

"Well, see you next time, Miss Gaelen," he said as they walked down the hall toward the doors of the school.

Tauriel gritted her teeth. "Hopefully there won't _be_ a next time, sir," she said primly.

Kíli laughed, ignoring her reluctance to speak with him. "We can only hope. Still, even if our kids don't get along, that doesn't mean we can't."

"Of course," Tauriel said, not really meaning it. Politeness was as far as she would go with this annoying, overly flirtatious man.

By now they had reached the doors. "Well, see you later...or maybe not." Kíli grinned.

"Goodbye," Tauriel said, nodding to him. She turned away, walking out of the school and toward her car. She felt his gaze on the back of her neck, and she blushed, glad he couldn't see her face anymore. He definitely had eyes for her, but she couldn't let him keep them on her, no matter how attractive he was. She hoped for his sake that he _wasn't_ married. That would be bad for both of them.

* * *

"Are you kidding me?" Tauriel said in disbelief. "You're out _again_?"

The barista across the counter only shrugged. "Sorry," he said. "Someone came and took it about two minutes ago."

Tauriel gritted her teeth. This was the fifth time in a row that someone had bought the last everything bagel. It was her favorite kind of bagel, and she had eaten it for breakfast nearly every day for the last month, until this week, when some asshole had decided to come and steal it from her before she got to the coffee shop. She was getting very tired of this. All she wanted was a bagel, was that too much to ask?

"Fine." She sighed. "I'll have that one instead." She pointed to a cinnamon raisin bagel, wishing she could have her usual instead.

The barista nodded and fetched it for her. He placed it on the counter and rang it up. Before he handed it to her, he mumbled under his breath, "Uh..." He looked at her a little awkwardly.

"What is it?" she asked, trying not to sound impatient. She had to get to work, and this was already taking longer than usual.

The barista coughed. "He left a note," he said. As he gave her the bagel and returned her credit card, he also slipped her a piece of paper.

Tauriel took everything and thanked the barista. She walked back out to her car, burning with curiosity (and irritation) as she wondered what the note contained.

When she got in her car, she took a bite of the cinnamon raisin bagel and unfolded the note. The bagel really wasn't all that bad, though she still preferred her usual everything bagel. When she read the note, she stopped chewing in shock and indignation.

_Dear Ms. Everything—_

_heard you miss your bagel. shoulda got here sooner, I guess! Better luck next time._

_xoxo,  
_ _K.D._

Tauriel crumpled the paper in fury. She wouldn't let this guy walk all over her! She'd show this "K.D." Tomorrow morning, she'd get up extra early just to catch him.

"Better luck next time to _you_ , too," she growled under her breathy. Then she took another vicious bite from her bagel. The nerve some people had...

* * *

"So how are things with Hailey, dear?" Tauriel asked.

Ria, who sat curled up with a copy of _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_ , looked up as her mother addressed her. She shrugged. "Okay," she said vaguely.

Tauriel sighed. It had been about a week since the last time she and Mr. Durin had been called into Peredhel's office. Today had been a long day, starting off with a sub-par bagel and a mocking note from "K.D.", whoever that was. She was glad Hailey and Ria weren't still fighting, but she wished Ria would be a bit more specific.

"Are you two being nice to each other?" Tauriel asked.

"Yeah," Ria said, going back to her book.

"Come on, Ria, talk to me," Tauriel chided.

Ria pouted. "I don't want to, I wanna read!"

"Okay, fine," Tauriel relented. "But we're going to talk over dinner. Which is in half an hour."

"Yay," Ria said absently, absorbed in her book.

Tauriel missed the days she had the time to read like Ria did. As a working single mother, leisure time was scarce.

Ria was very much like her father, in some ways. Legolas Greenleaf, Tauriel's ex-husband, was also an avid reader who never backed down from a fight. Tauriel had been like that too, once. She still was, in some ways, but living without Legolas had taught her to be more cautious. Life with him had been fast and exciting. They had jumped into so many things: dating, marriage, children, divorce. Neither of them had been ready for any of that, and it was no wonder things had gone sour.

They still spoke, on occasion, and Ria had met her father several times, but seeing as he was now a wealthy businessman in another state, he didn't have much time for either of them. Tauriel was bitter sometimes about everything that had gone wrong, but she knew it was just as much her fault as it had been his. And at least she had Ria. She wouldn't trade her daughter for all the money and stability in the world.

To be fair, life was pretty good. Tauriel had a good job that paid the bills, and her schedule worked out so she didn't have to pay a babysitter or a daycare. She and Ria were happy.

Over dinner, Tauriel tried to get Ria to open up about Hailey again. "Come on," she said. "Do you not want to tell me?"

Ria heaved a dramatic sigh. "Fine, Mom," she said. Tauriel cracked a smile. Only seven, and already full of sass. She would be a handful when she became a teenager.

"Hailey said sorry for throwing the pencil," Ria reported. "She said her dad told her that it was mean and not a good thing to do if you want to make friends."

"Mr. Durin is right," Tauriel said, nodding.

"Anyway, she seemed to mean it this time," Ria continued. "So I said sorry for real, too. And then we promised to be nice." She snorted. " _I'll_ do it—until _she_ stops."

"Well, good," Tauriel said. "You keep your promise and things will work out."

"Yeah," Ria said. "I guess."

* * *

The next morning, Tauriel woke and left early, just to make sure the bagel thief didn't get to the coffee shop first. And maybe if she hung around, she'd catch him in the act. The thought made her smile wickedly. Revenge would be sweet.

She strode into the coffee shop ten minutes earlier than usual, enjoying the warmth of inside. It was late winter, and the chilly breeze always made her shiver.

The barista waved hello to her as she approached the counter. Tauriel grinned as she saw that the last everything bagel was still there.

"You made it early enough this time," the barista said as he handed her the bagel. "Congratulations. The other guy will be upset he didn't beat you again."

"I'm looking forward to it." Tauriel smirked. She took a seat at a table within view of the door and counter and waited.

Eight minutes after she arrived, a man bundled up in a heavy coat, a scarf, and a beanie trudged through the doors. Tauriel squinted at him as he walked over to the counter. He looked familiar, but she couldn't tell who he was, as his scarf and hat obscured his face and he wasn't looking in her direction.

"I'll have the everything bagel," he said, his voice muffled from the scarf around his neck.

The barista shrugged. "Sorry, sir, we just sold the last one."

The bagel thief—for it could only be him, the mysterious "K.D."—grunted. He ripped the scarf away from his face and asked the barista indignantly, "You're kidding?"

As Tauriel heard at last the sound of K.D.'s unmuffled voice, she realized in a flash who he was. Kíli Durin! Hailey's irritatingly attractive father!

She fought back a laugh. How ridiculous. What were the odds he would be the one stealing her bagel?

"I see you finally came too late," Tauriel called out from her seat. "Mr. K.D.—or should I say Kíli Durin?"

Kíli whirled around to see her, his eyes wide. "Tauriel?" he said in disbelief. " _You're_ Miss Everything Bagel?"

She waved the half-eaten bagel in the air triumphantly. "Better luck next time," she teased.

Kíli glared at her for a moment, then collapsed into laughter. He walked over to her, leaving the barista rolling his eyes at the counter.

"I can't believe it was you all along," he said, his chuckled subsiding. He sat down across from her.

"K.D.," Tauriel said. "I should have guessed, but I didn't. Maybe if I'd seen you write something in all those meetings we have in Peredhel's office, I would have."

He shook his head. "I guess my luck finally ran out," he said. "They just ought to stock more everything bagels! Those things are great." He stared mournfully at the remains of Tauriel's bagel.

She broke off a piece and handed it to him. He took it and smiled at her. Now that they weren't in a school setting, Tauriel felt oddly more at ease with him. He certainly had a good sense of humor.

"You know, in all those meetings I've never seen you smile so much as you are now," Kíli said. "I know it's gross and sexist to say you look prettier when you smile..." He made a face. "Believe me, I know... But you are very pretty, Ms. Gaelen, and your smile is beautiful."

His unashamed, sincere compliment made her blush. "Oh...uh...thank you, Kíli," she responded.

His face lit up when she said his name. "Does that mean I can call you Tauriel?"

She smiled, bemused. "If you want to."

"I would," he said. Tauriel didn't want to let herself admit it, but he was very cute, and his brown eyes were as bright as his charming personality. Hailey was a bit of a monster, she had to admit, but Kíli was something else. Maybe outside of getting called into the principal's office, she could grow to like him.

They stared at each other for a long, awkward moment. Tauriel's skin prickled uncomfortably as she realized that his wide brown eyes seemed to twinkle in the early morning right. He saw right through her uncaring facade, she knew.

"Well, I should get going," she said, abruptly breaking the tension, but her apologetic tone was sincere this time. She stood up, her heart pounding.

He stood up beside her. "See you, Tauriel," he said. He held out his hand to shake. She took it. His hands were small for a man's, and she suddenly felt very tall. He was short for a man, too, and it didn't help that she was taller than average, too. Kíli didn't seem to mind, though.

"Thanks for sharing a bit of your bagel," he said. He grinned and continued, "We'll see which one of us gets here first tomorrow."

Tauriel raised an eyebrow. "The cinnamon raisin bagels are pretty decent, for future reference," she told him.

"I think I'll get one today, but tomorrow's another story," he said.

Tauriel laughed a little. "Goodbye, Kíli," she said, shaking her head.

"Goodbye, Tauriel."

* * *

Over the course of the next month, Tauriel and Kíli ran into each other several times at the coffee shop. It was always a contest to see who got the everything bagel first, but eventually Kíli decided he actually preferred cinnamon raisin, so that rivalry ended.

Hailey and Ria's rivalry seemed to have ended, too. Ria would talk about her day school, but the few times she did mention Hailey Durin were never negatively. Tauriel almost forgot about the issues they had once had—until she received _another_ call from Peredhel.

"Ms. Gaelen," Peredhel said. "I'm sorry to bother you, but..."

"Do you need me to come in again?" she asked tiredly. Frankly, she was disappointed. After all this time, she had really believed that Hailey and Ria had sorted out their differences. But apparently not.

"Yes," Peredhel confirmed. "I'm sorry to bother you, but—"

"No, it's fine," she said, though in reality it wasn't. Ria was in such trouble this time...

"Can you be here in twenty minutes?" Peredhel asked.

"Better—in ten," Tauriel answered.

"I'll see you soon. Thank you, Ms. Gaelen."

When Tauriel arrived at Ria's school, she saw Kíli pulling up as well. Her heart sank. Ria really _had_ gotten into trouble with Hailey— _again_.

Tauriel caught up with him and they walked toward the doors of the school together.

"Trouble again?" Tauriel asked him.

"Peredhel was pretty vague, but I presume so," Kíli said. It wasn't hard to tell he was irritated. His brown eyes flashed and a scowl adorned his face. Tauriel noted to herself that he had begun to grow a slight beard. His scruff and grumpy demeanor made her head spin a bit, but she tried to keep her composure.

"They were doing so well, too." Tauriel sighed.

"I know—the only times I got to see you recently were when I ran into you at the coffee shop!" Kíli said. "I much preferred that to meeting only when our kids were in trouble."

Tauriel laughed. She really did like Kíli, but she felt guilty for it. Last time she'd liked someone like this had been Legolas, and, well...that hadn't exactly worked out. Plus, though he didn't really act like it, he could be married, which would make all of his flirting pretty terrible.

When they got to Peredhel's office, the lights were off inside. Tauriel exchanged a curious look with Kíli, then rapped on the door to see if anyone was there.

"Come in," Peredhel called from inside. Shrugging, Tauriel opened the door.

As soon as she and Kíli were inside, the lights flashed on. "Surprise!" shouted two little girls.

Tauriel blinked in confusion. Balloons hung on the ceiling, and Ria and Hailey rushed up to their parents, beaming. Tauriel hugged her daughter, but this didn't offer any insight to what was going on.

"What's all this?" Kíli asked, clearly just as confused as she was.

Peredhel, who sat watching the scene from his desk, smiled. "The girls have been so good lately that they decided to have a celebration with you. I'm sorry that a bit of deception was involved, but they wanted it to be a surprise."

"Hailey and I haven't fought for a month," Ria said, pleased.

"We're friends now, sorta," Hailey confirmed.

"Well, then," Tauriel said, still a bit disoriented. "I'm glad! What kind of celebration are we having?"

As it turned out, the party was only twenty minutes long and consisted of eating cheap, store bought cake and listening to Ria and Hailey recount how they had become friends. Tauriel was more than happy to humor them. She was relieved the two girls had stopped fighting, and she always enjoyed spending time with her daughter.

At one point, Peredhel, Ria, and Kíli were all talking. Hailey, who sat across the table from Tauriel, leaned over and whispered to her, "My daddy really likes you, miss."

Tauriel blinked and blushed bright red. "What are you talking about?" she said, trying to keep quiet. She glanced over to where Kíli was laughing at one of Ria's jokes, while Peredhel nodded politely.

Hailey smirked. "Daddy thinks you're cute, and stuff like that." She shrugged. "I don't know, romance is weird. But he likes you."

"I'm sure you're mistaken," Tauriel said, not meeting Hailey's eye.

The little girl shrugged. "Maybe, but prob'ly not." Then she folded her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Be nice to him, okay?"

Tauriel almost laughed. Hailey was acting more like the parent here, warning her to be nice to Kíli, or else. "Okay, Hailey," she said. "I'll be nice."

Before long, the bell rang, and Peredhel closed the little party by thanking Tauriel and Kíli for coming. He ushered the girls back to class, and they ran off, chatting happily.

"It's quite a change from their previous behavior," Peredhel said after they had left. He smiled. "It takes some stress of my mind, it does. Thank you two for coming in, the girls really enjoyed it."

"Of course," Tauriel told him, shaking his hand with a smile.

"Yeah, it was really fun," Kíli said, nodding.

"I hope the next time I see you two is at a parent teacher night," Peredhel said.

"Me, too," Tauriel said fervently. She was tired of getting called into the principal's office, even if this time it had been for a positive reason.

After they had bid Peredhel their farewells, Kíli and Tauriel left his office. For some reason, Tauriel didn't feel like leaving him and heading for her car right away. They walked slowly down the hallway in comfortable silence.

"You know, it's really nice, seeing you out and about," Kíli said quietly. They had reached the end of the hall. He leaned on the school's main door, smiling at her. Tauriel's heartbeat quicked. It was ridiculous that someone's smile could be that charming.

"Yeah," Tauriel agreed.

He stared at her for a few moments, then looked away, chuckling half-heartedly. "It's, uh, been really nice seeing you," he said at last. He looked up at her and waved. "I guess I have to go."

"Yeah," Tauriel said softly. She took a step forward, feeling pulled toward him. He was so cute, dammit. She wanted to lean down and kiss him, but...it wouldn't be appropriate in an elementary school, and he probably didn't feel that way about her, anyway.

Kíli made no move to leave, despite what he said. If anything, he leaned toward her. Tauriel's heart pounded. She felt very close to him.

"You know, Hailey told me something very strange today," she whispered to him.

"Oh, did she?" Kíli said, a playful glimmer in his brown eyes. She almost thought he already knew what she was going to say, with such a piercing gaze.

"She said you thought that I was...cute," Tauriel told him. "That I should be nice to you, and that you really liked me."

Kíli stared at her for a moment, his eyes wide and going momentarily blank. "Oh," he said at last. "Well. She's not wrong. I do think you're cute. I do really like you."

"Oh," Tauriel said, now feeling a bit flustered. "I do, too."

"What?" Kíli said, tilting his head. If anything, they were even closer now. Tauriel felt her hand brush against his own, and a thrill ran through her.

"I really like you," she admitted. "And I think you're cute, too."

"I'm glad the feeling is mutual," Kíli said, a smirk playing on his lips. Tauriel leaned forward, wanting more than anything to kiss that smirk right off his face and onto her own.

"I think I want..." Tauriel paused. "I think I want to kiss you."

"I think I want to kiss you, too," Kíli said, taking her hand.

"We shouldn't," Tauriel whispered.

"Why not?"

"We're...in a school," she said, pulling away. His hand slid out of hers, and she turned away at the look of surprise and disappointment on his face. "And besides, our children...if we got together, I don't know how it would work..."

"Hey, Tauriel," Kíli said, pulling her hand. She turned back to see his gentle smile. "It'll be alright. And—we don't have to, if you don't want to. But I really do like you."

"Are you married?" she blurted out. "I mean, you have a child. I've never seen Hailey's mother here, and you're always flirting with me, but—"

"No, I'm not married," Kíli said, shaking his head. "I never was. Hailey doesn't have a mother. Are—are you? Married, that is?"

"Not for years," she said.

He squeezed her hand. "I didn't think so, seeing as Ria's last name is Greenleaf-Gaelen instead of just Gaelen, but..."

Tauriel made up her mind. She turned and opened the door to the school, pulling him outside along with her.

"Uh, Tauriel?" Kíli said, alarmed. "What are you—?"

"I changed my mind," she said, spinning him around, a grin spread across her face. "I do want to kiss you after all."

Kíli laughed and leaned forward, hugging her suddenly. She hugged him back tightly. It felt good to have him so close to her.

"That's good," he said. "Come on, then, what are you waiting for?"

Tauriel laughed, then leaned down. "Nothing," she murmured right before his lips met hers. As she melted into the kiss, she could feel him smiling, and she finished her thought: _Nothing at all._

* * *

"Tauriel, can we talk?" Kíli asked.

Tauriel rolled over in her bed and smiled at him. "Of course."

It had been nearly a month since they had started dating. After the party in Peredhel's office, Kíli and Tauriel had agreed to try a relationship out, though they had both been nervous about what their children would think. Luckily, both Ria and Hailey had been smug and supportive—they had known what was going on all along, it seemed. The girls got along surprisingly well now, though they still had their spats at times.

Right now, Tauriel and Kíli were having a date night. Kíli's brother, Fíli, was babysitting Hailey and Ria over at Kíli's place. Kíli and Tauriel had just watched _The Princess Bride_ , one of Tauriel's all-time favorite movies. After the movie was over, they had gone to Tauriel's room, and were now lying side by side on her bed.

Kíli wore a pensive expression. "I want to know more about you," he said, looking at her with his warm brown eyes. "Like, your history."

Tauriel smiled. "Sure," she said. "Let's see...I was born in Oregon. I grew up there, my parents still live there, but I went to California for college. Then after I got my degree, a masters in business, I went job-hunting. I moved here, and this is where I met my ex-husband."

"What was he like?" Kíli asked.

She shrugged. "Nice, and very career-focused. His father was a rich business owner, and he worked for the company. I got a job with the same company, and we worked together, became friends, started dating...It was really strange, to be honest. I really liked him, and he really liked me, but it wasn't like any other relationship I'd ever been in. He wasn't a very touchy-feely kind of guy most of the time. I was up to my ears in dreams and thinking of everything I could do if I only had the money. He supported me and well, he could provide that money. I'm not saying that's why I married him, at least not totally. He's a good guy. His dad was an ass, though, I hated the guy."

Kíli snorted. "Is that why you left him?" he asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"No, it's fine," she said. "Well...we really rushed into everything. We'd been married only a year when we had Ria. Neither of us were ready for a baby, and it really put a strain on our relationship. His father was always work, work, work...he thought it was ridiculous I wanted time off to stay with the baby when she was first born. Legolas—that's my ex—supported him, and I got mad. I called up Thranduil, that's his dad, and quit right then and there. Told him he could stuff it."

Kíli burst into laughter. "Did you really?" he exclaimed, grinning. Then his eyes widened. "Wait, Thranduil? That's your father-in-law? Thranduil _Greenleaf_?"

"Yeah, do you know him?" Tauriel asked, puzzled.

"Do I _know_ him?" Kíli exclaimed. "Well, you don't know this, I think, but my uncle's also a businessman who's pretty well off. Thorin Durin, you heard of him? Anyway, he hates Thranduil, absolutely despises him." Kíli smirked at her. "You told him to stuff it. Uncle Thorin's going to _love_ you."

Tauriel laughed. "Well, I look forward to meeting him, then. Thranduil's a good father, I guess, but a terrible father-in-law."

"So, what happened next, after you left Greenwood, Inc.?" Kíli asked.

"Legolas was really angry," Tauriel admitted. "He said I wasn't trying hard enough with his father, and that I was throwing away everything he'd worked for, and I told him he hadn't worked for anything and that he was just inheriting his father's money, and that he didn't really love me and..." She trailed off, grimacing. "It was bad. We both said very unfair things. We broke it off then and there, and a week later we filed for divorce. Thranduil sent Legolas to a location in another state so he couldn't see me, and we were both fine with that. I took Ria, moved to an apartment, and we lived alone." She shook her head. "It was hard. Eventually I found a good job and I could afford to live someplace nicer, seeing as Legolas's child support only helped so much..."

"Does Ria ever see her father?" Kíli said.

"Sometimes," Tauriel said. "About two years after the divorce, Legolas called me up and apologized, said he wanted to see Ria...I let him. He visits every once and awhile. We talk sometimes, but...it still hurts."

Kíli reached out a hand. She took it, feeling comforted by his presence.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "That's rough."

"Yeah," she agreed. "But I have Ria." She smiled. "And I have you."

Kíli looked at her sappily. He leaned in for a kiss, which she granted happily.

"So now it's your turn," Tauriel said. "Tell me about your history."

"Oh, I grew up around here," Kíli said. "I've got a big family—you've met some of them. My mom and my brother. We ran into my cousin Gimli the other day, remember that?"

"Yeah," she said. "They seem like good people."

"They are," Kíli agreed. "I'm lucky to have them. You know all about me, mostly, but...I haven't told you a couple things." He glanced away. "I was waiting until I was sure I could trust you. I think that I can."

Tauriel's chest tightened. She had no idea what Kíli was talking about. She hoped it wasn't anything bad.

"So, uh," Kíli began, forcing himself to meet her gaze. "You asked me, right before the first time we kissed, if I was married. I'm not, I never was. And I also said that Hailey didn't have a mother. Which is also true."

"Yeah, I wondered about that," Tauriel said, nodding. "But you never mentioned it after that, so I didn't ask."

"Hailey doesn't have a mother because, technically...she has another father," Kíli said.

"Oh." Tauriel wasn't sure how to respond to that. Had Kíli...dated a man? She was still confused.

"I'm bisexual," Kíli said.

"Oh!" Tauriel said again. That made sense. "Um...thank you for telling me."

Kíli heaved a sigh of relief. "I was worried you wouldn't take it well. You...don't mind?"

"Of course not," Tauriel said, squeezing his hand. "Why would I?"

"Good," he said, laughing a little. "That's good. But that's not all of it. Tauriel, I'm also transgender. I'm a trans man."

Tauriel blinked, again surprised. "Oh," she said. "Well. That's good. Thank you for telling me."

Kíli broke into a smile. "Thanks for being so accepting," he said, leaning into her. "I just..." He sighed, looking up at her with love in his eyes. "I don't date a lot anymore, since I have Hailey, but when I do, people find out and they usually panic and leave."

"That's terrible," Tauriel sympathized. "You don't deserve that, Kíli, you're wonderful just the way you are."

"I love you," he whispered. "I hope that's okay to say."

Tauriel's heart warmed. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "It is. I love you, too."

"I mean, we're still kind of early in this relationship," Kíli continued, "but this is the first time in a long time I've felt this strongly about anyone."

Tauriel blushed. "I—yeah," she admitted. "Me too. I haven't dated in years. I only did once after Legolas, but it was brief and he didn't mean a lot to me. This is new. Honestly, even with Legolas, I never felt...like this."

"Mm-hmm." Kíli looked up at her with puppy eyes. "We're so sappy right now. If our kids could hear us they'd be gagging."

Tauriel laughed. "Yeah. You're right. We're almost as sappy as Westley and Buttercup."

Kíli snorted. "I wouldn't go _that_ far."

"Tell me more about...everything," Tauriel said softly, running a hand through Kíli's hair. "About how you grew up and how you had Hailey and how you realized you were trans and bisexual. If you don't mind. I want to know."

Kíli nodded. "As you wish," he murmured, quoting the movie they had watched that night. Tauriel smiled, waiting for him to go on.

"I mean, there's not a lot of interesting stuff about me growing up," Kíli said. "I was really close to my brother. I still am. I lost my dad when I was three, he got in a car accident. I don't really remember him much. Just my mom and Fíli." He sighed. "I thought I was a girl for a really long time, just a more masculine one. When I realized I was bi, when I was sixteen, I thought that explained it. But it didn't, not really."

Tauriel nodded, silently urging him to continue.

"I was nineteen when I first met my ex," Kíli said. "He was a nice guy, really hot, and I liked him a lot. He was cool with me being bi, too, which is more than I could say for a lot of other people, guys and girls alike. We started dating and ended up in a committed relationship. Looking back, he was kind of a dick—always made everything about him and kept convincing me that all the troubles we had were my fault, even though they were usually his."

"What an ass," Tauriel murmured.

"Yeah," Kíli agreed. "But I stuck with him, because I liked him, and he liked me too. One day we weren't safe enough during sex, and, well...I got pregnant." He grimaced. "We didn't plan for it, we weren't married, we were just living together, and I was so scared. He was scared, too. But we decided to keep the baby. Those nine months were not good for me. That's when I really first started feeling dysphoria really bad—that something was wrong, this was not normal, why was this happening to my body, pregnancy was a thing for women and I...subconsciously, I knew I wasn't a woman."

Tauriel squeezed his hand comfortingly. "Well, I had Hailey," Kíli went on, "but I had begun to realize that I wasn't a girl. About three months after she was born, I finally came to terms with the fact that I was a man. When I came out to my ex, he...he didn't believe me. He told me I was wrong, that it wasn't possible, that I was..." He shuddered, a tear falling out of his eye. Tauriel pulled him closer to her, hugging him tightly.

"So I left," Kíli said, his voice cracking. "I took Hailey and ran to my brother's place. He accepted me, and so did my family...I never got any support from my ex. I hardly ever see him anymore, and never willingly. But I had my family, and Hailey was part of that family now. I started to medically transition, and eventually I saved up enough for top surgery, and I'm pretty much male passing now. I don't worry about being mistaken for a girl anymore. Not much. But you deserve to know, especially if we end up having sex someday."

"Uh..." Tauriel blushed. "To be honest, Kíli, I'm not too crazy about sex. Legolas never really was, either. It's a wonder we ever conceived Ria, it's not really something we did often."

"That's fine," Kíli said. "I love you more than I love sex. It's kind of overrated anyway." He grinned at Tauriel. "Well, that's about all there is about me. I got a job working from home, which I still have. And then I met you, because Hailey and Ria couldn't stop bickering."

"And because you kept stealing my bagel," she added.

"Everything bagels are pretty good," he said defensively. "I mean, I like the other kind better now, but still!"

"Excuses, excuses," she teased.

* * *

"Tauriel, come on!" Kíli shouted.

Tauriel put her jacket on and walked over to where her husband was preparing her breakfast for the morning. "It's okay, Kíli," she said, "they're not going to fire me for being two minutes late. They like me, they just promoted me, remember?"

Kíli wrapped up her breakfast in a paper towel and handed it and a cup off coffee to her with a concerned expression. "You don't want to give a bad impression."

Tauriel smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, taking her food from him. "Thanks for the breakfast, dear," she said. "I should go, though."

Kíli nodded seriously. "Yes," he said. "I'd love to kiss you but you shouldn't be later than you are already!"

"Have fun sending the kids off to school," she said. She waved at Hailey and Ria, who sat finishing their homework at the kitchen table. They were now twelve, and as close as sisters could be. Kíli and Tauriel had been married for two years now, and life was good.

"Bye, Mom!" Hailey called out as she left. Tauriel's heart warmed. She loved it when Hailey called her Mom. It was just another reminder that she was part of Tauriel's family now, too.

"Bye," Ria added, still focusing on her work. Tauriel smiled.

"Bye, girls," she said. She walked out of their home and down to her car. As she got comfortable in her seat and prepared to drive away, she noticed a note tucked into the paper towel Kíli had wrapped her breakfast in.

She took it out and smiled as she read it.

_Tauriel,_

_You mean everything to me._

_xoxo,  
_ _K.D._

"Aww," she said. Then she unfolded the paper towel, revealing its contents to be an everything bagel.

She stared at it for a moment, then burst into laughter. Kíli could never resist an opportunity for a pun, and especially not when an inside joke was involved.

"Oh, Kíli," she said, shaking her head as she pulled out of their driveway. His jokes were endearing, if cheesy, and she certainly counted herself a lucky woman to have him and the rest of her family in her life.


End file.
